You may be carrying around fat that you didn't even know you had - but your supermarket offers appealing tools for rooting it out.

Health experts define fat in different categories: You have subcutaneous fat, which is the squishy stuff you can feel under your skin, and visceral fat, which is a more dangerous kind hidden deep in the abdomen.

In a new study, experts from Wake Forest University investigated factors that could affect the amount of visceral fat in people. They included more than 1,100 adults and checked their fat levels using CT scans five years apart. Everyone reported their exercise habits and the foods they ate.

One factor linked to less visceral fat was soluble fiber in foods. For each additional 10 grams that people ate, their accumulation of visceral fat fell by 3.7 percent. According to the lead researcher, this is the amount in two small apples, a cup of green peas, and a half cup of pinto beans. Physical activity was also linked to less buildup of visceral fat.

Other food sources of soluble fiber include oat bran, oatmeal, oranges, pears, grapefruit, corn, lentils, and cabbage, which means that soluble fiber won't be too hard to find on your next shopping trip.

I'm Dr. Cindy Haines of HealthDay TV, with the news that doctors are reading; health news that matters to you.